Prince of Power (House of Terriot Book 2)

by Nancy Gideon

  She reached up to trace the firm line of his jaw. “All the way.” She looked as though she wanted to add more but instead pillowed her head on his shoulder. Finally, she asked, “How should we tell them?”

  “Long distance?”

  “Candygram?”

  “Strip-o-gram maybe.” A rough chuckle and a sigh. “I love you, Mia. We belong to each other. Nothing’s going to change that. Nothing.” A pause. “Right?”

  “Right.”

  Not said as strongly as he would have liked, but he’d take it. And he’d take her and everything that came with her.

  “Colin?”

  Anxiousness prickled at her tone. “Hmmm?”

  “When we’re here, we’re together, just like this.”

  “But?” His hand paused in its movement through her hair.

  “Out there, we’re different things to different people. We lead different lives with those who depend on us. Do you love me enough to allow me that life outside the one we share?”

  “I don’t want anything to exist outside of what we share.”

  A soft chuckle. “A nice, if unrealistic thought. Your family may have to live with the fact that you’re mated to their enemy, but I can’t see them inviting me into their compound for cold pizza and small talk.”

  “Then we won’t go.” Firmly stated.

  “No. You’ll go. And I’ll let you. If I need to go to Memphis, will you let me? Will you trust me that far? I have to know, Colin, now before we take this any further.”

  “I love you, Mia.”

  “I know you do. I’m not talking about love. I love you, too. So much it hurts to talk about things that might pull us apart.” She gazed up into those gorgeous green eyes and asked, “Can you love me, trust me enough to let me do what I have to do for my family without demanding to know what it is?”

  He was honest. “I don’t know. That’s not how I’m made.”

  “I love how you’re made. You’re protective and fierce, and I feel so safe with you. Can you let me be who I am as a Guedry?”

  “That’s like asking you not to mind if I’m bedding other females behind your back.”

  She laughed at his grumbled logic. “No, it isn’t.”

  He was way too shrewd. “Is this about what happened yesterday? Are there things you’re keeping from me?”

  “Yes. And yes.” She soothed a hand along his shoulder when he immediately tensed. “They’re political things. Personal, family things I need to resolve.”

  “And I can’t help.”

  “You can help by letting me take care of them.”

  “And if you need my help, you’ll tell me.”

  “Yes. Immediately. I will and I’m going to, just not yet.”

  “Sonuvabitch,” he muttered then said, “Okay.”

  “Okay?” She leaned back again to study his features, seeing the strain, the concern. The complete, unvarnished honesty.

  “Okay. That’s what we’ll do. Business is business, and everything else is pleasure.”

  He let her come to him, letting her set the tone, the pressure, the limits as they kissed, sweetly, softly, laced with the tang of longing for more.

  The courtyard gate rattled. Colin lifted his head.

  “Oh, sorry. Didn’t know I’d be interrupting anything.”

  “It’s okay. C’mon in, Red.” Colin carefully shifted Mia to one side, pleased that her arms stayed about his shoulders, head tucked beneath his chin. “Thanks for stepping in yesterday.”

  “Yeah, sure, until I stepped outta line. Sorry ’bout that.”

  “No. Don’t you apologize to me. I’m the one who needs to be doing that. Thank you. You’ve been there for me, for Mia. I appreciate it. I need you to do something else for me. You and Kip take Mia to her place to gather up her things and bring them here.” He was instantly aware of his mate’s questioning stare.

  “Where will you be?” she demanded, picking up on his subtle tension.

  “Taking care of some business.” And taking full advantage of the bargain she’d forced upon him.

  While Rico contacted Kip, he helped Mia bundle up in an engulfing pair of his sweatpants, her own clothes too torn and bloodstained. Her wincing movements betrayed her pain as she tried to reach up for him.

  “You’ll have to come down to me, DB,” she said at last, resigned to her limitations.

  “DB?”

  “Dreamboat.”

  “Okay.” He grinned and bent to rest his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes as she finger-combed his hair and hugged him close.

  “When I get home, I want a really long, hot shower and then I want you to make love to me until I beg for mercy.”

  “You don’t have to beg me for anything.” Colin kissed her softly. “When you get home. I like the sound of that.”

  Rico popped back in. “Ready? Kip’s meeting us there.”

  Colin skewered him with a stare. “You take care of her.”

  “I will.”

  He waited until Rico’s rental pulled away from the curb to take out his phone and get down to that business.

  “Hey. It’s me. You were right about everything. It’s time for us to meet. Yeah. I’m onboard.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  After taking an absurdly long time to dress, Mia sat on the couch, trying not to watch as the two Terriot brothers handled all her personal things. She finally received Brigit’s response to her hurried voice message, assuring her anxious “Did you make it home okay?” with a brief, “Yes. Thank you. We’ll talk soon.”

  Home. The home she’d make with Colin Terriot after she tied up loose ends.

  She’d gone to the roadhouse to meet the terms of Thorne’s bargain. She’d have Colin if she brought him Brigit. The second she saw the motley group of Patrol members huddled at the bar, she knew what Thorne had ordered. She’d known but tried to convince herself it wouldn’t matter that Isaac Thorne planned to murder Daniel’s lover and his unborn child. Tried to tell herself it was for the betterment of her clan. That the appearance of a new Guedry heir would only make the changeover in power that much bloodier.

  But none of those arguments mattered the instant Brigit MacCreedy St. Clair placed her palm on her rounded belly.

  No way Mia was going to let any harm come to her nephew or his mother. The cost for her own swift rise in power was too high, even if it put both her and Colin in danger.

  The look on the foursome’s bovine faces when she’d torn into them in the empty lot was priceless. Surprise had given her an immediate advantage that hadn’t lasted long. She gave as good as she got until a blow to her temple sent her into a twilight of pain. Barely clinging to consciousness, she heard them place a call to Thorne, hearing his answer repeated to the others.

  “He said kill the bitch.”

  It wasn’t Thorne’s betrayal that had fueled her unexpected burst of strength. It was the thought of Colin and his family being wrongfully torn apart in her name.

  She’d shot three of them with one of their own guns. The fourth reddened her hands with that first blood of retribution she’d so desired what seemed like a lifetime before. Numbed by shock and injury, she’d called the only soul she trusted to clean up the mess and help hatch a fitting plan. MacCreedy didn’t disappoint her. Only then did she reach out to Rico. And while she waited for him, weak and beaten to a physical and emotional pulp, she’d wept over the unknown fate of the Terriot heir she might be carrying.

  No more time for tears. It was time for action.

  Colin sat wreathed in smoke and the scent of sex, drugs and cheap alcohol trying not to think of what he’d left behind in the rooms that were now a home. He’d had no time to bask in the pleasure of tucking Mia’s belongings in with his, no chance to appreciate the reality of her embedded in his life. They’d begun with that promised shower, but by the time he’d stretched out beside her, she was fast asleep in his covers looking deceptively like an angel. A tattered angel, maybe. He left a note saying he had to g
o out on a family matter, not daring to linger over the sight of her head nestled into his pillow. Not when such darkness waited to be done.

  Maisy J’s was packed, but his brother had no trouble finding him in the crowd where he stood out like a Titan amongst grubbing sub-humanity. Colin endured the quick, obligatory embrace then nodded that they take their talk someplace quieter. A hefty stack of cash out of his pocket procured one of the unused rooms upstairs, thankfully one set up for private gambling, not earthy pleasures. His brother James, a bit leaner and rougher around the edges than his usual sleek, metrosexual façade, took one chair and waved him into the other. Lost in his own troubles, Colin had heard only vague snatches concerning the drama in Nevada where Turow, Cale and Kip effected a brawling rescue to save Sylvia from her plan to make things right with their family by laying a trap for James. James, ever the wily self-preservationist, had escaped only to resurface at his bedside.

  “So, what prompted your call?” James lounged back as if he hadn’t a care in the world—or their family out for his head.

  “Everything you said. I don’t want to live under another Bram Terriot. I believed Cale and all his promises. And then—”

  Colin’s voice broke off like a glacial fissure.

  “Then?” James prompted, leaning in, his eyes taking on a bright gleam of self-interest.

  “Then he turns around and becomes the old man all over again. And he has the nerve to accuse me of being untrustworthy. I’ve done nothing, not one damn thing, except try to strengthen our family while he’s—”

  Intrigued by his agitation, James leaned closer. “What?”

  “He’s whacked out on stupid shit, cheating on our queen.”

  Jamie’s brows soared. “Cale’s stepping out on Kendra?”

  “I heard it from the source. Dammit. It’s always the most decent of us who get ripped up on both sides. Bonded is bonded. All that playing around is supposed to be over.”

  James was no fool. He put together Colin’s indignation with his vague clues and came up with a startling conclusion. “No! Cale and Sylvia?” A huge laugh. “I thought she was banging you.”

  “So did Row. He ’bout broke my jaw. I put all that behind me. I don’t dig under fences into other folk’s yards. This’ll kill Row. He doesn’t deserve this from that arrogant sonuvabitch.”

  James didn’t seem too broken up by that thought. “How far the mighty fall,” he mused.

  Colin scowled at him for his lack of familial if not moral indignation. “What’s your plan for keeping our family strong?”

  James laid it out like a tablecloth at a picnic, covering every imperfection with an unwrinkled surface appeal. First, to combine their wealth into a solid bank from which to draw talent and labor for finance and war, a necessary step since his own accounts were empty. Second, for them to supplant the Guedrys in dealings with the North to assure their safety and longevity.

  “And Cale?”

  “If he complies, he can retire comfortably next to our father. If he doesn’t.” James shrugged. “That’s up to him.”

  “He’ll fight, and others will join him.”

  “Not if we take him out first. I already have someone in place waiting to get word. It’ll be done quick and clean.” Coldly, remorselessly proposed.

  “And Kendra?”

  “It would probably be wise to remove her as well. She tends to inspire loyalty.”

  “Can’t have that, can we?” Colin drawled. Before James could question his comment, he asked, “What about our brothers?”

  “When Cale falls, their allegiance won’t stand. We’ll spin it as a Guedry plot, aided by these New Orleans mongrels. If we offer a solid plan, they’ll come around.” He smiled, leaping ahead to envision that long-overdue achievement. Colin pulled him back to reality.

  “And if they don’t?”

  “They’ll have to be dealt with. But perhaps that can be avoided. Me, they’d object to, but you? You they’ll follow. You have the strength to command their respect. Rico and Kip, they’ll do whatever you say.”

  “And Row?”

  “Turow may be a problem.” James had been clear about how those would be handled. Colin skipped over the inevitability of his brother’s death without comment.

  “What happens to New Orleans?”

  “I’ve already greased the right palms and have the right men in place. Their leaders will be put down like dogs. Then, if you want it, it’s yours. You’ll have a built-in army at your disposal.”

  Knowing James, he asked, “What’re you taking for yourself?”

  “Las Vegas and Reno.”

  “And our home? Who rules there?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough. Trust me.”

  “Like my father did?”

  James caught the powerful undertow beneath the surface calm of Colin’s words. “What are you talking about?”

  “Would you sell me out to the highest bidder like you did my step-father? Let the North poison our brothers and their families the way you did me? For money? To save your miserable ass, to pad your pockets and your ego?”

  A flurry of reassessment churned behind James’ steady stare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Col. I brought you in because I trust you. Not just lip-service like Cale. You’re everything our clan aspires to be.”

  “What?” Colin’s thin smile curled into a sneer of self-loathing. “A vain drunkard? A fool? A coward who let his father and brothers die because he couldn’t see through the manipulation of those he loved? That’s who you want to inspire our clan to greatness?”

  “Colin, what the hell is wrong with you?”

  “I am very all right for probably the first time in a long damned time. And you’re done, Jamie. You’re done pushing your traitorous agenda and your self-absorbed madness. You’re not spoiling what Cale’s started to accomplish in New Orleans, you vicious little shit. Who’s going to stop you? Our king, your brothers, our allies, and me. I am.”

  Colin opened his leather coat, revealing the device Alain Babineau had attached to record every nuance of their conversation. Then, raising his voice, he added, “Come on in.”

  Before James had the chance to process the fact that their conversation had been taped, their brothers Wesley and Turow entered the room. And before anyone could blink, Row threw James from his chair and had him flat on his back, both hands about his frantically bobbing throat.

  “Whoa! Grab him, Wes!” It took both of them to wrestle the vengeance-seeking prince from his killing fury. But not before his solid right hook, the one Colin recalled so vividly, knocked James out.

  “Let me go! You know what he did to my mate! There’s no way I let him live!”

  Colin managed to contain him within the wrap of his arm while tossing Wes a pair of handcuffs. “Park Jamie in that chair. He’s not going anywhere. Row, take a breath, or I’m gonna squeeze it outta you!”

  Turow finally eased down into low, rumbling growls. Wanting to be certain, or almost certain, his brother wouldn’t do anything stupid before he released him, Colin promised, “He’s not getting away with anything, Row. Not after what he did to Sylvie and Cale.” Or me, he could have added. “Okay? You cool?”

  Watching Wesley secure James to the chair helped Turow find his usual steady purpose. “I’m okay. Let go, Col.”

  After eying him suspiciously, Colin complied then removed the listening device. “Take this out to Babineau. He’s in the parking lot, way in the back. He borrowed it for me. He’ll make a copy for you to take home to Cale. Go on.” He gave Row a push to get him started in the right direction. “We got him. Go on.”

  With a nod, his brother left the room. James slumped against the restraints that secured him, no longer a threat.

  “We don’t have much time,” Colin began, his terse voice drawing Wesley’s curious glance.

  “For what?”

  “The truth. About why you went in with him to kill our king and steal his crown.” When Wes recoiled, Colin wave
d off his reaction. “Save it. Dammit, Wes. What the hell? Jamie? You’d follow Jamie and make him the next Mad King?”

  With a weary sigh, Wesley let pretense fall away. “No. But he does have his place in what I want for our clan. We agreed on one thing, that to keep us strong, we need to stay separate. We need to show our power and instill a holy terror in others, so we don’t have to compromise our way of life. Father was right about that, just as he was wrong about a helluva lot more. Like making Cale our king.”

  Realization hit Colin like a lightning bolt. “You thought you’d wear the crown better.”

  “It was mine as the oldest, as the first. I would have made us great again. I still can if you’ll stand with me. You have your doubts, too. That’s why you were trying to contact James. Because you were losing faith in our new king. You were starting to have the same uncertainties that made me listen to James in the first place. Colin, you’re too smart not to see where Cale is leading us. He’ll make us the leashed enforcers for the Guedrys. Tell me, brother, how does that make him any different from those in the North who would do the same thing? We aren’t their attack dogs. We’re Terriots. We eat what we kill, and we don’t share with those who don’t hunt with us.”

  “We can’t defend against the North on our own, Wes. Maybe for a little while, but finally they’ll drive us to ground, burn us out and slaughter us, making slaves of whoever’s left. Is that what you want for us? For our families? You’ll rule over graves and ghosts!”

  “Not if we bargain with them from a position of strength.”

  “You trust them to hold to a bargain with us when we can’t even trust each other? I wasn’t trying to contact Jamie to join him. I wanted to convince him to stop! I wanted my brother back before more were sacrificed for his foolishness.” He paused. “But you’ve always known that. That’s why you never came to me. Because you knew I believe in what Cale’s doing.”